1. Field
This invention relates to the field of adjustable beds, and more specifically to pressure sensors associated with adjustable beds.
2. Description of the Related Art
Adjustable furniture, including chairs, couches, beds, and other furniture, may contain at least one section of component of which a user may control a feature or attribute, such as the position, vibration, motion, or the like of that section or component. The user may typically adjust the bed by using a control, which may be an on-furniture controller or a remote controller, to move an adjustable section in one or more directions of movement. Additionally, the adjustable furniture may include various types of mattresses, cushions, pillows, or similar elements to cushion the furniture for the user, and the furniture may allow for vibration, heating, cooling, or other action related to one or more of the sections.
A typical adjustable bed may consist of a wood decking for each of the sections of the bed connected together with hinges to allow the various positions between the sections. There are actuators connected between the bed frame and the wood decking for moving the adjustable sections into user-desired positions. The adjustable bed may have a “wall hugging” feature that maintains a consistent distance between the mattress and the wall as the bed is adjusted. Some adjustable beds may use wooden or plastic slats to support the mattress instead of a solid wood platform.
The adjustable bed may have at least one actuator to position the adjustable bed sections. In some cases, there is one actuator to position more than one, such as positioning both the thigh and foot sections with one actuator. There may also be more than one actuator for each adjustable section.
Hospitals have used adjustable beds for many years to provide comfortable and medically required positions, and many home users have adjustable furniture because of a medical issue and therefore require certain positions, movements, or settings (such as vibration, heating, cooling or the like) to aid recovery, positioning to relieve discomfort as a result of pain, or the like. These users, whether at home or in a medical environment such as a hospital, nursing home, assisted living facility, or long-term care facility, may, because of these issues, spend significant amounts of time in bed, and some users may be confined to spending long periods of time in or on furniture. With aging populations in many countries, such as the United States, more and more users face such confinement.
Associated with the trend for users to spend more time in sedentary positions, such as in bed, is a trend toward increasing use of technology in home and medical environments, including in rooms where users have adjustable furniture. Such technology includes increasingly sophisticated computer and networking technology, entertainment technology, information technology, and the like. While many existing adjustable beds provide the basic requirements of moving sections to positions that are required by a user, a need exists for adjustable furniture that works in better association with other technologies that are capable of being deployed in the environments in which the furniture is used.